Reading pH

[PecanOrchardPool]

I am clearly overthinking this. This looks more orange than pink to me which should register lower. It has to be somewhere in the 7.5 to 8.0 range? My best guess is 7.8? Is it lower though since it it more orange than pink?

 

[Newdude]

Hey Pecan !!! Try this. I don't have time to photoshop yours, but you'll get the idea.

Learning to read PH.

Hey there, brand new pool and first time pool owner. I have been following all the advice here and it's great. I am struggling with reading PH levels. I prefer a more specific number vs matching the colors like the test in the TFPro kit. This was my reading last night (picture 1) and with the...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[PecanOrchardPool]

Thank you! Based on the pictures of the other meters, I am going to call this 7.5 I am also going to look into a more granular meter too.

 

[Newdude]

Ok i had a minute. I was furloughed in my side gig as an afternoon teen Uber.

Here's what I see with yours, but in person may be slightly different.

More pink/peach than 7.2



Not quite pink enough for 7.5



DEFINITELY not purple-y




Really all you need to know is time to dose from being high or low. Even if you miss *that*, Ph is a long term concern and dosing down from 8.2 a few days too late won't change the price of beer. Whether it's a 7.2 or a 7.6 doesn't matter 98% of the time. It's not time to dose yet.

It'll take some time to spot the colors at a quick glance, but you'll get there with practice.

 

[PecanOrchardPool]

Thank you! I went and compared it to the picture of the Taylor 9058 in the thread you sent which has additional color gradients which makes it easier to decide. I may buy that one.
I am trying to get my TA down so that my pH doesn't keep increasing so quickly. Will wait another day before dosing again (after testing) to get that TA down another 'drop' to 70. Then I'll go into just keep in 7s mode.

PS I totally understand the side gig as uber. I spend about 2.5hrs every day shuttling munchkins to school and back.

 

[AUSpool]

I would call that 7.8. Try one less drop. The colour intensity will be a better match.

And a couple of minutes to make a white window card. I’ve used the pegs just to hold it in place for the professional photo shoot.

 

[Newdude]

I am trying to get my TA down so that my pH doesn't keep increasing so quickly.

The irony of that is that to save some acid additions, you will make some acid additions.

If it happened instantly and you could bang out the extra additions in one sitting, then I'd see the gain to getting it done. But it will take you some time to accomplish something that will accomplish itself relatively soon either way. (* once TA is in range, some folks have 200+ fill water).

To let it happen naturally, manage Ph in the high 7s. To speed it up, manage Ph in the low 7s.

Once you reached your target, lower Ph only to 7.6 or 7.8 when it hits 8+. People tend to make a large dose thinking it will buy more time but it doesn't usually work that way. Its a swing and like any swing, a gentle push makes a gentle return. A hard push comes back with a vengeance and might whap you upside the face.

New plaster will have a healthy miriatic acid appetite for the first year also. You may be needing to raise the TA you lowered in the near future when it keeps going after that.

 

[PecanOrchardPool]

Newdude, Thank you so much for the advice, that makes a lot of sense to me.
Auspool, I am also going to make myself a window card for easier comparison.
Just ordered a Taylor 9048 comparator too.
Thanks everyone who took the time to comment. My next thread will be about CH. Joy.

 

[AUSpool]

Just ordered a Taylor 9048 comparator too.

The 9048 is a DPD comparator for chlorine. I thought we were talking about pH. Just use the FAS/DPD for free chlorine, it’s a titration test so no need for a comparator. You could maybe go for a 9871 but that’s pretty much what you have.

Be mindful of your targets as the water starts to cool down. Keep an eye on how that affects your CSI. I tend to run my pH and TA a little on the high side when my water is cold over winter.

 

[PecanOrchardPool]

Sorry typo on my phone, I meant 9058 you mentioned in an earlier thread, I bought it as well as the R-0004 pH Indicator solution to use with it. Thanks for the tip on colder weather too, it will be my first winter with the pool.

 

[AUSpool]

That’s the one I use, it comes with the K2006 kits. Taylor’s web site says it a DPD/pH comparator but that’s a typo. It’s a CyA/pH comparator. And good on you for getting the reagent for it. Both reagents have the same active ingredients, the R0004 is just a little more concentrated. I still just use 4 drops unless I run the test with a dilution. I think the 9058 does have better color variations. It only goes to 8.0 so if I’m a bright purple I simply record it as >8 and add enough acid to move 4 points into the 7’s then test again. You can also get and use the acid demand reagent with the 0958 but you’ll need a copy of the acid demand table.

Note here that there is a 4 point discrepancy in acid demand between 8.2-7.8 and say 7.8-7.4 in pool math. Just use the greater of the two if you encounter that.

Now you have two CyA view tubes. Don’t be tempted to compare them. Choose one and stick with it. It is likely that they will give slightly different results but there is nothing wrong with either, it’s just the nature of the test, both results will still be within the tolerance of the test so technically the the same.